Modi must tell how much black money he has recovered, Rahul Gandhi asks

Addressing a press conference on the occasion of the Congress party's 132nd foundation day, Gandhi also talked about the compensation to those who died in bank queues and farmers, who "suffered a lot".

He said the PM needs to answer these few important questions since the 50-day period, which Modi had sought for the situation to return to normal, is coming to an end.

"Modiji has performed demonetisation yagna for 50 families and one per cent super rich people of the country...What are the collections after November 8? What is the loss incurred by economy? How many people have died after November 8, have they been given compensation?", Gandhi asked.

He also asked, "Who were the experts the PM consulted before the notes ban?"

Referring to the death of 70-odd people across the country, who had fallen ill while standing in the queues of banks or ATMs, the Gandhi scion asked what the Government has done for their families and why was there no compensation to them.

He alleged that 50 super rich families in the country have been safeguarded from the ill effects of notes  ban and the  rest of the people have lost something or other.

" The Indian National Congress (INC) demands an answer over how PM Modi will execute the compensation,” he said.

The Congress VP  also demanded that the list of people who had deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in their bank accounts before November 8 be made public by the Prime Minister.

Criticising the Centre’s imposition of a cash withdrawal limit, he said the cap of Rs 24,000 should be removed as it is an "attack on people’s financial independence."

“Farmers have suffered majorly and they should be compensated as well. The loans which they owe should be forgiven and 20 per cent bonuses on MSP should be provided to them,” Gandhi said.

“Also, woman who are living Below Poverty Line (BPL) should be given Rs 25,000 each while the shop owners who have faced significant losses deserve 50% rebate on sales tax and income tax."

Earlier, addressing party leaders at an event, Rahul had accused  Narendra Modi of "tearing the fabric of the nation" and injecting  fear among the people.

He said Modi's notes ban is an example of how the Government has infused a sense of fear among the people.

Gandhi said the Congress, on the other hand, is a platform where everybody's voice is heard and nobody imposes anything on everybody.

"Congress is the idea that it is not only my view that will prevail...I must seek out your views," he said.

But PM Modi  "is doing only what he wants", the Congress Vice-President said.

"We can all see what a disastrous decision that has been. People in the country have been robbed of their money. Why has Modiji imposed such restrictions on people? He just wants to instill fear among people," Gandhi said.

Reiterating his charge of corruption against Modi, Gandhi alleged that the documents recovered during tax raids on the Sahara and Birla groups are proof that he (Modi) had received bribes from these companies during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister.